Archive for January 2019

Nanaimo byelection in BC could be sign of Canadian times (even if NDP finally wins)

Jan 28th, 2019 | By | Category: In Brief

The most interesting Canadian political event this week is almost certainly the BC provincial byelection in Nanaimo on Vancouver Island, Wednesday, January 30, 2019. John Horgan’s current BC NDP government in Victoria remains in office with the help of three Green party Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). And the NDP/Greens together are just very […]



Does murder in Alice Munro country say something larger on troubled times?

Jan 22nd, 2019 | By | Category: Crime Stories

A man’s gruesome rape and kidnapping of his ex-girlfriend, just after his murder of her parents, should make a gripping old-school crime drama in any context. At the same time, I have been told that I haven’t personally contributed a crime story to this site for more than a decade (“Depression economics and crime : […]



Starting 2019 with jazz at the Bluebird – one of the “top 21 new bars in Toronto”

Jan 4th, 2019 | By | Category: Entertainment

It may well be that 2019 proves a difficult year on any number of fronts. But I was lucky enough to spend its first Thursday evening at one of the “top 21 new bars in Toronto” (blue bird or The Bluebird, 2072 Dundas St W, at Howard Park). I was listening to an excellent jazz […]